One-Shots
by Meadow of Dreams
Summary: These are my one-shots, whether it is a challenge, a contest, or just a regular old one-shot. It can be any fandom. Like Warriors, PJO, or something that just sprung from my head. I hope you like it and enjoy my one-shots. :3
1. Free (Warriors)

**This is a challenge for Flowerclan. The category is tragedy.**

_No! No! It can't be!_ Appletail's thought swirled like a whirlpool. It couldn't be! Rosepelt wasn't really dead. She was in the medicine den recovering from her wounds. They just thought she was dead. She was still alive, she couldn't die! Rosepelt _promised_ to always be there. Appletail nudged Rosepelt gently. Her mother didn't move.

"Rosepelt, it's time to wake up. I got a mouse for you." She whispered, dropping a skinny mouse next to the cold body. The medicine cat, Snowheart, stared at her sadly. Appletail swished her mottled tail.

"Rosepelt, you need to eat if you want your wounds to heal." She said more insistently, ignoring the death smell blossoming from her mother's body.

Appletail turned her tail. "I'll get you something better out in the forest." she said quietly. Dashing into the forest, her thoughts cleared. Rosepelt wasn't dead, she was just sleeping. Smelling a mouse, she pounced. The mouse squealed and ran off. The forest ground crackled beneath her paws. All around her was silent. The prey was hiding, she thought dully. Dragging herself back to camp, Appletail saw Rosepelt laid out in the clearing.

"What are you doing? You know that Rosepelt needs her rest!" she screeched. Appletail jumped on the cat nearest to Rosepelt. That cat, whoever he was, yowled loudly.

Suddenly, she was flying in the air and the leader, Coldstar had pinned her.

"Appletail! We know that this is hard, but you have to accept the fact that Rosepelt is dead!" he snarled forcefully. Appletail went limp. Rosepelt was dead? Coldstar got off of her and she bolted out of camp, racing blindly into the forest. Stopping at Star River, she stared into the twinkling depths. She should have protected Rosepelt from the rogue. She should have helped her mother fight the cat, not flee like Rosepelt had told her. Then this would have never happened. Appletail looked at the sky.

_Rosepelt, this is your fault! Why did you leave me? _She repeated in her mind over and over. Looking into the water, she saw her green eyes staring back at her, full of pain and denial. The black river gurgled and splashed. Then, her reflection changed. It twisted and writhed until it reformed as a black and white she-cat, with a cruel smirk on her scarred face. It was her mother's killer. Appletail let out an angry screech and slashed at the stupid she-cat's face, breaking the image. The water swirled and swept the bits away.

A tail gently touched her shoulder. She whirled around, hissing, expecting to see the rogue. Instead, she saw one of her Clanmates, Darkthorn. He looked at her for a moment, and then disappeared into the undergrowth. She followed him robotically, violently shaking the ferns. When she got to camp, he gently led her to her nest. She laid down mechanically and went to sleep. When she woke up the sun shone brightly in her eyes.

Getting up, she wandered outside into the clearing. Dragging a skinny mouse from the fresh-kill pile, she sat down. Each bite tasted like dry, bitter, dirt. The mouse seemed like it lodged itself in her dry throat. Choking it down, Appletail felt warmth flood her stomach. She hadn't eaten last night. Padding out of camp, she felt a twinge of anger. _They think I'm recovering from Rosepelt's death. Well, their wrong. I will never recover. Never until I die. _She leaped on a mouse and slashed its throat. Killing the mouse made her calmer. Burying the mouse, she hunted 'til dusk. As the sun painted the clouds smears of gold and orange, the sky turned purples and blues. Bringing back her mouse, she felt a burning ache for her mother sear her heart.

She expected her mother to see the kill and take it, saying it was the most delicious mouse in the forest. She waited for her mother so they could go on a walk together. Finally accepting the fact that Rosepelt was gone, Appletail walked toward the warriors den for some sleep. Sunlight glowed in her eyes. She ran outside and sat by Star River. Suddenly, pangs of pain and sadness shot through her. Memories flashed beneath her eyelids. She writhed on the ground, screaming. Thoughts banged in her head faster than bullets. She took deep gasping breaths and her heart stopped beating against her chest.

With a cold feeling in her stomach, she struggled to stand. Staring into Star River, it was tempting. _No one will know. _She thought. Taking a deep breath, her thoughts floated away. She was free.


	2. Shattered Soul (Warriors)

**This is for a Flowerclan contest. Enjoy! Btw, I changed Cloud's nickname to Flower because Reader1(Pebblepaw) reviewed and told me that it was a little difficult to know who was who. So I changed it to a she-cat name so future readers can understand. :) This is Horror/Tragedy. **

**_Summary: A cat has lost everything, everyone and their head is full of memories_**

On the creamy shores of a silver lake, a gray she-cat was sitting. She was staring at the gorgeous waters, but unseeing of the beauty. In her eyes, you could see memories of hers rather not be seen, but the she-cat didn't care. She didn't care if you read her past. She didn't care about life anymore. She was angry, angry at them for leaving her stranded in a past she couldn't release. Her spirit dying, trapped in an abyss. The she-cat slowly laid down, not caring about the unburied body, and was swept away in broken memories.

_Golden sunlight streamed into the branches, dappling a gray cat with narrowed eyes, focused on a mouse. She leaped and sank her pearly teeth into the mouse's neck. The mouse writhed for a moment, then became still. Her mother purred proudly._

_"Your first catch!"_

_she exclaimed._

_The she-cat puffed her chest out proudly. A mouse to feed the family. Something slammed into her and knocked her off her paws._

_"Stop bragging!"_

_a voice teased. She recognized the voice immediately and mewed playfully,_

_"I'm not bragging! You're just jealous that I caught a mouse and you missed yours!"_

_Her brother bristled,_

_"I did not! The mouse...it ran away when I jumped." They were so busy wrestling and arguing that they didn't notice a strange scent in the air. Mother sniffed the air and her eyes widened._

_"Tiger! Flower! Get away from there!" she yowled._

_The siblings heard their mother's serious tone and untangled to run away. Just as Tiger got up,a red animal rose out of the bushes and grabbed his leg. He howled in pain. Mother snarled angrily and bounded toward the animal. She jumped on the red animal's back and bit its neck. The fox, as she now recalled yelped and dropped Tiger's leg, the ripped flesh oozing blood. There was no saving him now. Flower watched in horror as the breath in Tiger faded. Mother was still battling the fox, when another came out._

_"Flower! Go get help!" her mother wailed as the other fox sprang into battle._

_Flower turned and raced toward the direction she thought went to the clans. She kept running blindly until she crashed into a wall of fur._

_"Who are you!?" a deep voice growled angrily. Flower, trembling said,__" Flower." The tom snarled,_

_"What do you want?" Flower mewed hurriedly,_

_"Help me! Two foxes attacked us! We need help!" The cat, whoever he was, called out something she missed. More cats came out of the bushes. They stared at her warily. Finally**, **a beautiful tabby spoke up,_

_"What if she's tricking us?"_

_Flower's fur spiked up."I am not!"_

_she protested,but the cats were staring at her with hostility now. A brown tom with black stripes sneered,_

_"We shood chase her out!" Horror arced through her when the other cats nodded and murmured in agreement. The big tom who she crashed into growled,_

_" Get out,and never come back again!"_

_Flower nodded and turned to bolt away,never to see the cats again._

_When she got back,the foxes were gone,and two mangled bodies laid in the clearing stained with crimson blood. Flower gasped in horror._

_"No!" she yowled as her legs carried her to the dead body of her mother. She buried her muzzle into the cold fur, but all she could smell was death. Sighing,she dragged her brother's body next to Mother's and slept with their lifeless bodies until moonhigh._

_When Flower woke up,the moon was high in the sky. She stretched her stiff muscles and it crashed down on her. Tiger and Mother were dead. She was completely alone now. Licking her brother's cold ear lovingly,she proceeded to bury him. As the thick,soft earth covered more of his body, her heart ached sharper with pangs of grief shooting though her. After she had patted down the last scrapings of dirt, she dragged her mother to the lake she had loved. Sitting down, she watched the water shift and turn. Burying Mother would come later._

The she-cat woke up. She stiffly got up and started to make a hole. After her claws were aching,she painstakingly covered her dear, dear mother and padded into the forest. Finally, an unfamiliar voice broke the usual forest noises,

"What are you doing?" The she-cat whipped around to see a tabby she-cat sitting behind her. She bristled and snarled angrily,

" Who are you and why are you here?" The tabby didn't seem fazed by her hostility.

"I'm Stripes, what's your name?" the tabby mewed. Slowly, her fur flattened and she opened her mouth to say Flower, but caught herself. Flower was her nickname Mother had given her. After her nickname came in place, her name was forgotten. But now it rose out of the dust,shaking dirt off and boldly challenging her to say it, the word shining as bright as the morning sun. She opened her mouth, her head held proudly as the words spoke for themselves,

"My name is Storm."

**Haha! Fooled ya there! I hope you can give me pointers on my weak spots. Icewish, out.**


	3. Last Stand (Warriors)

**This is a challenge for the one, and only, Iceclan! It's Minatu-ichi's forum. You should really join. It's fun!**

Tension hung thick in the crisp morning air. SwiftClan camp was silent except for the crunch of cat's teeth and soft thud of paws hitting the earth. It was as if the SwiftClan cats were too afraid to speak lest the BrightClan cats pound in if they dare to let a word drop out of their mouth. Finally, Frogstar, the proud leader confirmed the dread weighing down the cat's stomachs.

"There is a war creeping closer each day; I fear for us all." Last Gathering there had been a new leader, the bloodthirsty Reedstar. He hated SwiftClan so deeply that he was willing to get revenge on them for killing his mother sixteen moons ago. Reedstar declared that if SwiftClan didn't leave by the next Gathering, BrightClan would chase them off and slowly kill the queens, kits and elders, one by one. Frogstar in retaliation growled that SwiftClan was staying, no matter what. Before a full-fledged battle could break out, the beloved moonlight pitched into total blackness, caused by the dark clouds and the Gathering broke up.

Silence was what Swamptail got when he went to assign patrols. SwiftClan was too scared to go out. Finally, one of the bolder warriors spoke up,

"I'll take a hunting patrol." Swamptail nodded gratefully at her for volunteering. She flicked her tail at a few warriors and the group went out. Swamptail mewed softly to the remaining cats,

"Who will go on border patrol?" Reluctantly, Snowpelt went out of camp for border patrol with Mousetooth, Rosethorn, and Softpaw. Swamptail forced the rest of the apprentices and their mentors to go out for training before breathing a sigh of frustration. Taking a wren from the meager fresh-kill pile, he stepped into Frogstar's den. The leader's ruffled pelt and his cloudy eyes made him look silly. When he saw Swamptail, he brightened and energy seemed to seep into him.

Swamptail set down the wren and backed out of the den. Before he took a step, Frogstar rasped,

"Swamptail, I need to talk to you." Swamptail stopped and padded toward the old leader. Frogstar's breathing was heavy and his eyes were full of fear.

"Swamptail, should we have left? SwiftClan's destruction will be my fault." Swamptail shook his head.

"No, Frogstar. They would mark us as cowards. But if we died fighting we would be crushed for a brave and valiant reason." He whispered soothingly. Frogstar nodded aimlessly and muttered, mainly to himself,

"Our time is soon up. In a half-moon, we'll be dead." Swamptail left the leader's den but not without a shiver of fear slithering up his back. _Was his Clan really doomed? _

Hunting patrols came back with enough prey to bulk up the pitiful fresh-kill pile. The border patrols came back surprisingly unharmed. They explained that there were no BrightClan patrols passing while they were patrolling. Frogstar ordered every cat to freshen up their training, only hunting patrols were to go out. Cats trained in pairs, determined to have each other's backs in the war. Swamptail tirelessly reviewed the guarding procedures to cats until it seared itself deeply into every cat's mind. The words he used tirelessly worked and pounded into the dust until it could work no more.

Queens only allowed their kits to go out to get fresh-kill before ushering them back into the dark nursery. Even the most scatter-brained cats were alert for any signs of attack. Sorrelfoot, the medicine cat need apprentices to help him daily so he could stock up on herbs. Swamptail could almost smell the blood filling the air as the two clans, hating each other deeply enough to inflict fateful wounds, battled for life and death. Frogstar, to everyone's surprise, went on more patrols and trained until his sides were heaving and his breath labored. He claimed that he wanted to help SwiftClan, not just be a burden.

Excitement thickened the air when a quarter moon before the battle, Curlkit, Snowkit and Hawkkit were to become apprentices. Their mentors trained then so their skills were the same as a seasoned apprentice. Swamptail picked up a squirrel from the swelling fresh-kill pile. He flopped down next to his friend, Songpetal. Songpetal sank her sharp teeth in her thrush.

"Hey." She muttered through a mouthful of feathers. Swamptail nibbled his squirrel before blurting out,

"What if SwiftClan really is going to die out? Then our training will go to waste. Am I pushing them too hard?" Songpetal twitched her ear in amusement.

"No, if we win, then our training will not go to waste." She said, looking into his worried yellow eyes. Swamptail's tail lashed in frustration. He felt like his clan was in danger, yet others didn't! Finishing his squirrel, he grabbed a vole for Frogstar. Frogstar was lost in thought when he entered the den. He shook his head and mewed a greeting to Swamptail. Swamptail dropped the vole next to Frogstar's nest.

"Why do you bring me fresh-kill? I can get it myself." He asked. Swamptail's ears flattened in embarrassment and he looked at his muddy brown paws. Finally, he answered,

"I just feel like I should." The old leader purred in amusement and wheezed,

"Well, you don't have to now." Swamptail nodded and was about to leave when Frogstar suddenly mewed,

"What are you doing after we're done talking?" Surprise bolted into him and he stuttered,

"W-well, I'm going to lead a hunting patrol." Frogstar got up and shook his head fiercely,

"No, I'm going to lead it. You can rest." Swamptail nodded meekly and padded out of the den. Today, the last bits of training and the last patrols were going out. Tomorrow was the war. Frogstar leaped on Tall Rock and yowled,

"Let all cats old enough to catch prey gather beneath Tall Rock for an important clan meeting. Cats streamed out of dens and sat down. Frogstar wheezed, then continued,

"Tomorrow, we will get up before dawn to prepare for BrightClan's attack." Queens, get ready to protect your kits." The queens nodded, the fire of battle in their eyes. Frogstar continued,

"Warriors and apprentices will station themselves in front of the elders den, the medicine den, and the nursery. Sorrelfoot, prepare your herbs." The cats yowled their approval and the meeting broke up. The next day, warriors padded out to guard the nursery, the elder's den, and the medicine den. Swamptail sat in the middle of the clearing with Frogstar, his eyes bright with determination. This was it. This was SwiftClan's last stand. And he was going to live in the legend of SwiftClan. As the sunlight broke over the horizon, washing everything in its warm, buttery light, the beauty of the stillness broke when a screech pierced the air;

"BrightClan, attack!"


	4. Crossroads (Warriors)

**Hey y'all! This is another challenge for Iceclan! Make sure you pop in review in the box below, I would greatly appreciate that. Anyways, enjoy!**

Redsky had to choose. It was either him and his friends, or his clan. He could almost see the faint crossroads in front of them, demanding a choice. Lightheart turned to look at him.

"Have you chosen?" she mewed softly. Redsky shook his head, his eyes glued to the imaginary crossroads. Ivyclaw sat on the ground, waiting. Finally, Redsky burst out. "I don't know!" Ivyleaf stamped the ground.

"It's not fair! Why do we have to make this choice?" She yowled, glaring at the starry sky. Lightheart sighed and meowed tiredly,

"Because destiny chose us to do this. We have to choose; either sacrifice ourselves to SnakeClan, or SunClan will be overridden. Redsky trembled.

"But will we see each other again? I mean, in SpiritClan?" he asked. Ivyleaf rolled her eyes.

"Redsky the sissy." She mumbled half-jokingly. Redsky glared at her before being interrupted by Lightheart,

"Redsky, we each have our own path in SpiritClan. You'll see what you always wished to see, and we'll each see what we want to see. But if we tried hard enough, we might be able to see each other a few times, but not for long." Ivyclaw snorted.

"How about we leave the clan and change our names and become rogues?" she suggested. Redsky shook his head.

"No." he muttered. "We aren't supposed to do that. We're supposed to either die with SunClan, or sacrifice ourselves." Lightheart nodded in agreement. Suddenly, his paws got cold and he wanted to turn and run from destiny. He wanted to leave everything behind and go somewhere where he couldn't be bothered. Like his apprentice days with Lightpaw and Ivypaw.

_"__C'mon Lightpaw! Let's go climb Cloud Birch!" Redpaw whispered. Lightpaw's eyes widened._

_"__But what if we get caught?" she muttered. Ivypaw laughed and said,_

_"__We won't! Let's go!" Lightpaw hesitated, then decided,_

_"__Okay, I guess." Redpaw yowled in excitement and dashed toward the tallest birch tree in the forest. It touched the clouds, but no cats ever been that high. Ivypaw and Lightpaw followed him. As they stared at the tree, Redpaw felt a surge of excitement. He leaped and sank his claws into the tough bark. Ivypaw climbed another tree and jumped from that tree to Cloud Birch so she was higher than Redpaw. Redpaw mewed in annoyance._

_"__Hey! That's cheating!" Ivypaw purred in amusement. _

_"__It isn't if you didn't establish the rules!" she meowed. Redpaw looked down to see Lightpaw clawing clumsily up the tree._

_"__Clumsy!" he teased. Lightpaw growled playfully and said as she jumped on a branch,_

_"__You were on first, and yet we are ahead of you!" Redpaw saw that he was the closest to the ground. He tried to jump on a branch as gracefully as Lightpaw, but he lost his balance and clung to the branch like a burr._

_"__Fox-dung!" he muttered. He looked up, and saw Ivypaw through the leaves. She was climbing higher and higher, almost to the clouds! Lightpaw was well ahead of him, stretching her legs to another branch. Redpaw scrambled up the birch, determined to get as high as he could go. The branches swayed as the wind sifted through the green forest. His red fur bristled with effort. Finally, he reached the branch where Lightpaw was resting._

_"__Hi." She said, breathing hard. "Ivypaw's almost to the top." Ivypaw's pelt was almost swallowed up by the leaves. She was getting to the thinner branches, and they wobbled and bent under her weight. Realizing he could see Ivypaw, he looked down. They couldn't even see the ground, only gently swinging tree branches and leaves. He continued to climb up the birch, reaching heights he never dreamed of. Finally, the branches thinned out and the wind whistled in his ears. Reaching the point where he couldn't climb any higher, he saw Lightpaw's cream fur on a higher branch. She's higher because she's lighter, he thought. _

_Seeing the sun setting, he called out to his friends,_

_"__We have to go back to camp!" They nodded and began to jump down, from branch to branch. When they got to the bottom, they padded back to camp. Time to face their punishment._

Redsky shook awake from his memory and looked at his surroundings. Lightheart had lain down and went to sleep, while Ivyclaw was tearing up bits of grass. He shook Lightheart awake and they padded back to SunClan camp. The next day the friends went on seperate patrols from each other. Lightheart had to go on hunting patrols, Ivyclaw had to guard camp, and he had to go on border patrol. As they passed SnakeClan border, the SnakeClan cats bared their dripping fangs and hissed. The leader of the patrol mewed silkily,

"I hope you've decided to sacrifice. What a shame it would be is we had to destroy another clan." Redsky's fur bristled and his claws were digging into the soft dirt. Graystorm, the leader of the patrol, flicked his tail and they continued to patrol. By sunhigh, Redsky was starving. Grabbing a sparrow, he flopped down next to Ivyclaw and Lightheart. He ripped at the bird and through a mouthful of feathers, he mewed,

"I can't decide which path to choose." Lightheart's eyes were gentle as she leaned over to lick his cheek.

"It's okay. The answer will come to you, if you are patient." Redsky pondered this. _Could the answer come to him if he waited? _Thinking about the two choices, he decided.

"We'll sacrifice ourselves." He mewed. Ivyclaw's ear twitched in agreement.

"Yeah, then SunClan will continue, even if we don't." Lightheart nodded and got up.

"Let's go." She said, determination in her mew. The friends padded out of SunClan camp. As they arrived to SnakeClan camp, a guard glared at him, her eyes cold.

"What do you want?" she snarled. Redsky stepped forward.

"We are the sacrifices." He growled. The she-cat eyed him and flicked her tail.

"Follow me." She said. Redsky's paws felt like stone. He forced himself to follow the she-cat. _This is for your clan_. He reminded himself. As they entered the clearing, cats jeered and snickered. Rowanstar stepped forward.

"Snowfang tells me that you are the sacrifices." He sneered. Next to him, Lightheart nodded.

"Yes Rowanstar." She answered, her legs shaking. Rowanstar twitched his whiskers lazily. Redsky looked around. The warriors were digging their claws into a dead mouse for cruel amusement. He heard Lightheart's voice in his head. _What a waste of prey._ Then, Ivyclaw's mew joined his thoughts. _They shouldn't do that._ Suddenly, he understood. Something held their spirits together! This meant that if one of them dies, the others die. He could hear their thoughts and they could hear his thoughts. He had finally understood why their destinies were like this. Looking over he saw that Ivyclaw and Lightheart understood too. He heard Lightheart's voice again. _If we're connected, maybe it means we'll see each other in SpiritClan. _Ivyclaw added her thoughts. _Yeah!_ Suddenly, Rowanstar spoke.

"Alright, say your good-byes so we can kill you." Redsky heard all three of their voices entwined together, _Bye._ Rowanstar flicked his brown tail and announced,

"Kill them." Three cats leaped at them and a pain shot through his throat. He collapsed to the ground. The world was fading. The last thing he heard was Ivyclaw and Lightheart, their voices faint in his head, saying, _See you in SpiritClan._

Redsky looked around. He saw his dream home. SunClan camp. But everything seemed to glow in a soft golden light. In the distance, two figures were racing down the hill and he ran toward them. The two cats tackled him and they rolled around in the soft grass, just like they did when they were kits. Gasping for breath, he saw Lightheart and Ivyclaw smiling at him. He swept his eyes over the valley they used to play in. He was home.


	5. Forbidden Love (Warriors)

**Hullo this is my warrior assessment for IceClan! The topic is…**

**Romance! Ya, I hate romance but I'll write it. The ending was actually fun to write! Please pop some words in the box in the bottom right corner and click send! I'd greatly appreciate that. ****J ****Enjoy! ****J**

Track padded toward the SnowClan border. The freezing snow hurt his paws and he winced in pain. He sat down and waited for Icepelt. The wind rustled the frost-covered branches overhead. The trees loomed over him, the shadows creating dancing figures. He shivered and fluffed out his dark brown fur. A gentle but unforgiving wing blew his fur back, so it was pointing away from the wind. He looked at the stars, sending a silent prayer of thanks to this "StarClan" Icepelt believed in. He thanked them for making this day nice so they could see each other without worring about freezing. Suddenly, under the dangling icicles, a snowy white cat was dashing toward him. Track let out a delighted yowl.

"Icepelt!" The creamy white she-cat mewed a greeting and pressed her nose into his fur, shivering with delight. Track relished the warmth she was giving off and closed his eyes, bathing in her scent. She closed her blue eyes, and then opened them.

"It's been so long since I've seen you!" she mewed excitedly. Track trembled with delight and purred,

"I love you." Icepelt's eyes shone like two brilliant stars. She whispered to him,

"I love you too." The stars seemed to dance before Track's eyes. He knew that she loved him, but he was always dazzled by the words. The frostbitten grass stung his paws, but he didn't care. He felt like he was floating on top of the world. _The wind could cover us up with snow but I don't care. Icepelt is all I care about._ A shooting star streaked overhead. Suddenly, Icepelt gasped and drew back. Her eyes fixated on something over his head. Track looked up and saw the round yellowish-white moon sinking from the sky. They gave each other a loving good-bye lick and then, Icepelt was gone, dashing back to SnowClan camp.

Track snorted with disgust as he stepped into slime. His pelt was dripping with oily water. _This isn't how I want to seem to Icepelt._ He thought. Bounding toward their usual meeting spot, his paws slipped painfully on the frozen rock path._ Two-Legs are so dumb. Why would they create something so hard and uncomfortable._ He thought as the path scratched his pads. Monsters roared on the wide Thunderpath. Crossing the black Thunderpath he nearly got hit by a Monster. He reached their meeting hollow before Icepelt. Rasping his rough tongue over his muddy pelt, he felt comforted. Icepelt ran toward him, happiness in her eyes. When she saw his bloody pads, she gasped.

"Track, how did you get hurt?" she fretted, licking his pads quickly. Cleaning the blood up, her tongue soothed him. Track licked her soft ear in thanks. She purred and licked his cheek. They sat together, sharing each other's warmth and watched the twinkling stars. When the silver half-moon was setting and the sky changed to oranges and pinks, Icepelt cleaned her beautiful white fur of his scent and left with sadness scaring her blue eyes. Track sat there for a second and got up, going back to the Two-Leg place to sleep. Stepping on the hard path, the melting dirty slush soaked his paws. Monsters roared past, some slopping soggy snow on him. He narrowed his eyes in disgust and shook himself hard. _Monsters are horrible. _He thought. When he got to his home of sticks and dead leaves, he lay down and went to sleep, dreaming about Icepelt and her glowing blue eyes.

The wind howled in his ears. Snow beat his face, stinging his green eyes. Ice crinkled and broke under his paws. Track fought against the blizzard; doing anything he could to see Icepelt on this horrible day. There was so much snow that all he could see was white, and Track's senses clogged up from the snow and wind. The Thunderpath was silent for once. He slipped on ice and collapsed on the ground. Struggling to stand up, waves of warm sleepiness came over him. He closed his eyes briefly, and then opened them again. Faintly, he heard Mother's voice echoing to him,_ Don't fall asleep! You'll freeze!_ He faintly remembered a story Mother had told him.

_Mama! Tell Snow and me a story! A dark brown tom was bouncing up and down. A white she-cat tackled him and they rolled around in the matted leaves. They squealed and yowled, causing birds to squall and fly away. Running in circles, Track tried to catch his sister, Snow. Feeling dizzy, he collapsed on the ground. The world turned upside down. Snow giggled and poked let out a fake groan and rolled over._

_"__Track! Snow! Settle down and maybe I'll tell you a story!" Mother scolded. Immediately the two kits straightened. They sat as still as they can, waiting for the story. Track shifted a little._

_"__Mama! Tell us about the blizzard!" he yelled. Mother purred and started,_

_"__Once upon a time there was a cat. He lived around here and hunted for prey. One day there was a blizzard. The cat needed food because he was starving. He set out to find something to eat. When he got to the Thunderpath, he collapsed." The two kits shivered and snuggled together. Mother twitched her tail in amusement and continued,_

_"__He felt sleepy, and decided a nap would be nice. The cat closed his eyes and almost immediately fell asleep. When the blizzard was over, the cat's body was stiff. He had frozen to death. So Track, Snow, you must never fall asleep in very cold weather. Understand?" The two kits nodded and squeaked in unison,_

_"__Yes Mama."_

_"__Mama, did he catch any prey?" Snow asked. Mother purred and answered,_

_"__No, dear, he froze to death before he caught anything."_

Track jerked awake. He shook off his momentary sleepiness. Getting up, he yowled defiantly, showing the blizzard would not get the best of him. Padding through the snow, the coldness chilled his bones and sliced into his fur. Finally, he saw the border of SnowClan. Cutting through the thick, packed snow, he burst into the saw him and rushed over as he shook the snow caked to his fur. The clumps of snow soon melted into the ground.

"Track!" she mewed. "I was afraid you had frozen to death!" Track shook his head wearily and said,

"I couldn't let the blizzard stop me." Icepelt licked his ear and pressed her thick white fur against his brown. The two snuggled together. Finally, Track asked,

"How did you get here?" Icepelt let out a purr and answered,

"SnowClan cats are good at tunneling through the snow and resisting wind. So this was easy for me." Track nodded understandingly. Suddenly, Icepelt blurted out,

"I'm expecting kits!" Track's eyes widened.

"Really? Who's kits are they?" he questioned. Icepelt's whiskers twitched with amusement.

Yours, mousebrain!" Track's tail twitched excitedly.

"They will be brave and strong, and beautiful like you." He mewed. Suddenly, Icepelt's eyes narrowed with fear.

"Track!" she gasped. "I forgot to tell you! SnowClan has scented you, and they're going to kill you if they see you here!" Track's thoughts swirled. _They were in danger the whole time? He could've been killed? And Icepelt forgot to tell me?_ Track felt angry. He hated this she-cat for not telling him. He hated his kits. They would remind me of her. He felt no love now, only a cold, dark pit of emptiness. _Did I really love her? Or was it just a measly crush? _Turning on Icepelt, he snarled.

"Now you tell me? This whole time I was in danger? Did you even love me?" Icepelt's eyes widened.

"N-no!" she gasped. "It wasn't like that! I-I just forgot! I really-" Track cut her off with a growl.

"You didn't love me! If you loved me, you wouldn't have forgotten! I hate you! Was my love just a crush? Was I just another one of your play-things?"

"No! I really loved you! What about-"Track turned his back and stormed away, to the screaming wind, and stinging snow. Looking back at Icepelt, he muttered,

"I cannot love a Clan cat." And he disappeared into the snowy whiteness, but not without a twinge of sadness. He pushed down all his emotions and cut against the strong wind. Still in the hollow, a shocked and hurt she-cat sat there, all alone, without her mate and unborn kits. Icepelt's eyes narrowed with anger and hate.

"Mark my words, Track. I will get my revenge."


	6. Assassin (Idea)

**Hi again! I'm just typing this challenge. :3 And it's not a Warriors challenge. It's an idea sprung from my mind. And if you want to use it for a story you can, just PM me to let me know. A bit bloody, so don't like, don't read. Enjoy!**

I am an assassin. I am cruel, bitter, and mean. I crushed all emotion long ago, especially hope. Hope was the worst quality any cat could have. It made you believe something could be true, and then crushed your dreams. I am faithless. I am hopeless. I am empty. I am Assassin. I killed in cold blood, orders from my general. I am his best assassin.

I bowed to my leader. He nodded to me, and sat down in a chair.

"Come on, sit down." He said. I silently took a seat, taking my eyes nowhere else but his. He smirked and took out his knife. Polishing it, he told me,

"Your new mission is to kill him." My hand went instinctively to the white streak in my hair. To show that you are an assassin, or training to be one, they colored a streak of your hair white. Five years ago, he left, but he still should have the streak.

"But General! But we all swore to never speak his name!" I protested. General glared at me and I looked at the ground.

"You don't have to speak his name! Just kill him!" he growled. I opened my mouth to retort but thought better of it. I stared at my black sneakers and muttered,

"Yes General."

The wind blew my short brown hair as I pulled my hood over my head and crept down the hill. Brushing my brown bangs out of my eyes, I quickly sheathed a small dagger. My footsteps thumped on the grass. Lessening the weight of each step, I was able to stalk silently down the hill. Flicking my eyes around, the usual quietness in the countryside unnerved me. I heard yells while trainees are training and the clang of knives. Here, it was too quiet. He had to live here. General had told me he was here. Why he was so close to our base, I don't know. The cold night air prickled my skin. I shivered and pulled the black silk shirt closer. Wearing our assassin clothes in the spring nights was not a good idea. Creeping along the road, the thorny roses and plants scraped against my pants, digging into it and poking my skin. A little blood welled up in my scratches. Steeling myself against the pain, I remembered training with him.

_"__Rose! Rose! Watch my dagger!" a boy was jumping up and down, tugging a brown-haired girl. Rose laughed and stopped reading her book._

_"__Alright." She said. The boy pretended to attack an imaginary person, acting like the person had a sword. When he finished, An impressed Rose sat there with a book forgotten on her lap.._

_"__Wow!" she gasped. "You're getting better!"The boy puffed out his chest and bragged,_

_"__I bet I'm better than you!"Rose looked at him devilishly._

_"__Wanna bet?" she asked. The boy, realizing his mistake that Rose had trained far longer than he, took the challenge._

_"__You bet!" he exclaimed. Rose got up and unsheathed her silver knife. They stood in the room, looking at each other. Then suddenly, a clang of metal banging against metal filled the air. The two knifes seemed to dance, each one almost a blur. After what seemed like forever, the boy tired and Rose disarmed him. His knife skidded across the floor._

_"__And that is why you don't challenge seasoned trainees." She mocked. The boy groaned and asked,_

_"__How do you do that?" Rose smiled._

_"__We train a certain way. You'll learn soon enough." She answered, ruffling the boy's hair._

That had been before he had left. He never learned everything I learned. He had only learned to fight like me before he left us.

_A teenager sat at the meeting table. Suddenly, he stood up._

_"__I have to tell you guys something. I liked it here, but this isn't my way. I'm leaving." He announced gravely. Rose jumped up._

_"__What!?" she screeched. The boy looked at her sadly._

_"__Rose, this isn't my lifestyle. Killing innocent people because they did something? It's just not me." Rose glared at him angrily._

_"__So this was just for fun? You came here just to train. Did you not care about why we were training?" she yelled_

_"__No, there was a point when I thought I actually wanted to train as an assassin. But now I don't." he explained wearily. Rose looked at him so hatefully and angrily that he could almost feel the anger burning into him. Suddenly she screamed,_

_"__Get out! Never come back!" the boy hurried out of the base. It was silent, except for the angry breathing from Rose. Finally, the General spoke._

_"__We shall never speak his name again." He announced, glaring dangerously around the room. There were murmurs of agreement around the table._

Watching the rolling hills, I searched for the house that the General told me he lived. Finally, I spotted the small wooden house snuggled against the dark horizon. Running toward it, the little house seemed familiar. Oddly familiar. Stepping closer to the house, I felt a tingling sensation in my stomach. Walking up to it, I barged opened the door. He was sitting at the table when I burst in. He jumped up and banged his knees under the table.

"Wha- Rose? Is it you?" he gasped out. I narrowed my eyes.

"I hate you." I whispered. Pulling back my hood, I showed him my white streak in my hair. His eyes widened.

"You're still one of them? Why are you here?" he asked.

"Yes. It has been my home for eleven years. Why wouldn't I be there? I don't betray my home, unlike you." I spat out the last words. I pulled out my knife.

"Didn't you know already? You didn't expect it?" I whispered. He gasped and moved back.

"Rose no! You aren't the same as you were before! Don't do this! Let go of your hate!" I ignored him.

"You were like a brother to me. And then you left. Why shouldn't I hate you?" I murmured. He wheezed fearfully and took another step back, crashing into the wall. My knife trembled in my hands. He suddenly grabbed a knife and thrust at me. I parried it and we fought, just like the old times, except we were meaning to kill. I sent his knife skidding across the floor.

"Just like the old times. That's why you don't challenge seasoned trainees." I sneered. He pressed against the wall, as if he was trying to sink into them.

"I never forgave you for this." I mumbled. "So don't expect to forgive ME!" I yelled at the last word and thrust my knife into his heart. Blood gushed out, soaking his shirt and the life faded from his eyes. I turned and left the little wooden house. I have no hope. I never hoped he would come back. Hope is poison. It plays with you until it gets bored and crushes you. Hope is the worst of all evils in the world. Hope was the first emotions I destroyed.

I am faithless. I am hopeless. I am heartless. I am Assassin.


	7. Three Wise Words (Warriors)

**This is a quote challenge for Flowerclan! The quote is: **

**_"_****_In three words, I can sum up everything I learned in life!" _****Enjoy!**

Brightpaw sat in a clearing surrounded by whistling reeds. It was her favorite spot to go when cats teased her about her legs. She had named the clearing Silver Reed Circle. The sweet echo of the singing reeds calmed her. Today was particularly bad.

_"__Hey Brightpaw! When are you going to start training as a medicine cat?" Darkpaw jeered. The other apprentices snickered quietly. Brightpaw ignored them, her hind leg dragging uselessly behind her. Firepaw snorted. "If her leg's that bad, I don't even think she's fit to move to the elder's den!" the apprentices chuckled loudly. "I wonder who's gonna be the next Wisdom Keeper," Windpaw mused. "I hope I do!" the young cats murmured among themselves. The Wisdom Keeper was a cat of great honor. They guided cats in need for advice._

When the Wisdom Keeper is getting old, the apprentices are assesed to prove that they could train as a Wisdom Keeper. They have to speak three words of wisdom. Each time, none of the apprentices have succeeded, but the Wisdom Keeper chose the one that was the best. Every apprentice wanted to train as one someday.

Brightpaw noticed the sky was getting dark. Heaving herself up with difficulty, she limped home. She messily killed a fat mouse on the way back to camp. When she got to camp, she peeked into the Wisdom Keeper's den. In the nest, the skinny elder had curled up in a tight ball.

"Snowfoot," she called softly.

"Snowfoot, Wisdom Keeper, wake up." Snowfoot opened her eyes.

"Hello Brightpaw." She wheezed. Brightpaw dropped the mouse.

"I brought this for you." She whispered. Snowfoot looked at the mouse. She let out a raspy purr.

"Thank you Brightpaw." She said.

Brightpaw dipped her head and suddenly burst out,

"I'm never going to become a warrior." Snowfoot's eyes widened.

"Of course you'll become a warrior; you just have to try hard." Brightpaw thought about it. _If I was more determined to become a warrior, could I succeed? _She dipped her head again and padded out of the den. She heard Snowfoot call after her,

"Try your best!"

Brightpaw stepped into the apprentice den and flopped down in her nest in the corner. Trying to get comfortable, she heard Nightstar murmur to Snowfoot,

"Choosing your succeeder will be in a half-moon." Brightpaw's last thought was, _in a half-moon?_ The next day the apprentices were jumpy, and whispers of being the next succeeder was blowing through the Clans. Brightpaw tried to concentrate on her training, but her mind zoned to think of her three wise words. She was failing to keep up on her training, as if she wasn't already. Brightpaw lagged behind her patrol, encumbered by her crushed leg. The warriors sped ahead, leaving her in the dust.

Blackfang turned his head back to glance at her. "Looks like Brightkit can't catch up! Maybe she shouldn't have let the Monster crush her leg!" Brightpaw gritted her teeth and limped faster, aware of the pain in her leg. Dustleg, her mentor, sighed and mewed, "Let's slow down so Brightpaw can catch up." The other two warriors grumbled but slowed their pace. Brightpaw caught up to them, relived to have a nice mentor. They finished patrolling the quiet border and went back to camp. Brightpaw grabbed a mouse and dragged it to the corner, where she ate alone. The other apprentices wouldn't sit with her. Ripping the meat from the bones, she thought about her three wise words.

Nothing appeased her. Burying the bones, she limped out of camp to go to Silver Reed Circle. To her surprise, Snowfoot was there too. She let out a rusty purr when she was Brightpaw.

"Nice place isn't it here?" she rasped. Brightpaw stammered,

"Y-yes? Why are you here?" she asked. Snowfoot flicked her tail in amusement.

"I come here to think; I presume you do too?" Brightpaw nodded, still shocked. Brightpaw sat down next to Snowfoot. Suddenly, Snowfoot asked,

"Have you thought about your wise words?" Brightpaw answered quietly,

"Yes. I have." Snowfoot was quiet for a moment, then asked,

"How's it like to have a crushed leg?" Surprise took hold of Brightpaw.

"Well, it's frustrating. You have a hard time moving and you can't do things other cats can." Snowfoot nodded. Brightpaw stood up and limped back to camp.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join beneath the Tree Branch for an important Clan meeting!" Whitestar yowled from the branch. Cats gathered to listen. The air sizzled with excitement. Today was the day the Wisdom keeper would be chosen! Brightpaw stared excitedly at Whitestar. She had the three wise words in her mind. Brightpaw spent all night thinking about them. They seemed perfect! Whitestar beckoned with his tail to the excited apprentices.

"Darkpaw you start." He pronounced. Darkpaw stepped up, looking around smugly before saying,

"Work hard, eat." Snowfoot was silent. Darkpaw's smug expression melted and he padded back into the crowd. Next, Firepaw stepped up. He looked around nervously before clearing his throat and saying nervously,

"Train, hunt, practice?" He stepped back into the cats.

Windpaw stepped up. She stared determinedly at Snowfoot, and said,

"Try your best." Snowfoot's eyes lit up and Brightpaw's heart sank. She was going to say that! Now Snowfoot will probably choose Windpaw. It was her turn. She padded up and stared at Snowfoot straight in the eyes. She nodded encouragingly and Brightpaw opened her mouth to what came naturally.

"In three words, I can sum up everything I've learnt about life; Believe in yourself." Snowfoot's eyes lit p and she nodded approvingly. Finally, she stepped up.

"I had to choose between two of the four wise words." She rasped shakily. "It was a very hard decision, but I choose Brightpaw's." Brightpaw's heart leaped with joy. It was hers?! She felt like she was floating. Now she could be useful! Touching nose with Snowfoot, Whitestar announced,

"Brightpaw is now the apprentice to Snowfoot!" Everyone cheered.

"Brightpaw! Brightpaw! Brightpaw!" Everything seemed to be a dream. She was useful again.


	8. Vengeance (Warriors)

**This is a quote challenge for IceClan! The quote is;**

**"****In reality, hope is the worst of all evils. It prolongs and man's [cat's] torments." Enjoy!**

A lone she-cat was sitting in the cold nursery. The gaps in the wall had sadly not been fixed. The she-cat nudged her little kit gently as it cried pitifully.

"Its okay, Snowkit. Just calm down. Sorrelflower will come with your herbs soon." Amberstep murmured soothingly. Her ribs clung to her ragged pelt. The Clan was starving. The fresh-kill pile had been empty for days. Snowkit and she were starving, and hunger didn't help Snowkit's greencough. Suddenly, Sorrelflower stepped in.

"I'm sorry, Amberstep. There's no more catmint left. It died in the cold." Amberstep's fur bristled and her teeth bore into a snarl.

"What!" she screeched. "There's no more?!" Sorrelflower backed away, fear in her eyes. Amberstep's fur flattened and her head drooped.

"C'mon Snowkit. Hang on! Hang on for the sake of your life!" she whispered. The little kit looked at her with dull eyes, mewing for milk. Amberstep pushed him close to her belly, letting him try to find what little milk she had. He suckled for a bit, than stopped, seeing that his mother's milk was dry. Amberstep licked his head and went out of the nursery. Cats were going out on many patrols, desperate to find food. Amberstep went up to Coldstar.

"The nursery walls have holes in them," she told him. "Can you send someone to fix it?" He jumped and mewed,

"Yes, of course." He called out to warriors to go patch the holes. They nodded and left camp to get supplies. Amberstep went back to the nursery to comfort Snowkit of his pain. He saw her and squeaked weakly, and she purred to keep him calm. Lying down in the nest, Snowkit snuggled next to her, his eyes streaming. Licking his pet, she was aware of his bones jutting out from beneath. _He shouldn't feel this yet. _She thought. _He shouldn't know this world yet. _A triumphant yowl echoed outside. Amberstep got up and went out to see what it was. Snowkit stumbled after her, bumping into her legs. A hunting patrol came with a small sparrow to feed the elders and her. She went back into the nursery and waited.

Finally Frostpelt came into the dark nursery with only a bit of sparrow left.

"I'm sorry Amberstep but we had to feed the elders first." Amberstep let out an angry howl.

"You don't care that there is new life? Only the old cats get the food!?" Frostpelt cringed and muttered mostly to her paws,

"There's still some left, if you want it." Amberstep sighed and bit into the last bit. It didn't make a dent in her hunger. Chewing it up, she turned her back on the warrior and curled her skinny body around Snowkit. He was silent now, only sound coming from him was a painful snuffling that made her heart crack. The gaze of Frostpelt burned into her back before turning to leave the nursery. Finally, the warriors came to fix the holes. They pushed sticks and dead leaves to there were no space for cold air. The kit relaxed as the den grew warmer. Finally, he fell asleep.

When Snowkit woke up, he was strong enough to play. Patting the mossball across the clearing, he squealed in delight. Sorrelflower padded over and dropped a small packet of herbs. Sniffing it, Snowkit bit into the packet and spat it out, wrinkling his nose. Amberstep purred in amusement and padded over.

"Snowkit, you have to eat the herbs." She told him.

"But they taste bad!" he squealed. Amberstep sighed and said,

"If you eat them, you will get better and you can play more." His eyes lit up and he slowly munched them up, wincing at the bitter taste. Then Amberstep picked him up and carried him back to the nursery. His eyes closed and he fell asleep. _Poppy seeds._ She thought. Putting her head on her paws, she fell asleep. When she woke up, Snowkit was cold. She nudged him and he had not responded. Amberstep let loose and wail of pain and anger. She dashed to the medicine den and burst in.

"What did you do? What did you put in the packet!?" she snarled in Sorrelflower's face. Sorrelflower blinked.

"What?" she mewed confusedly. Then, understanding dawned on her face, and she shook her head. "I didn't do anything. It was his time." Amberstep didn't believe it.

"Yes you did. He was fine until you gave him herbs!" with that she stormed from the medicine den to grieve for her last kit. Her family was gone. Snowkit was the only one left. Amberstep made a last was never hope again. She hoped Snowkit would get better, he didn't. She prayed to StarClan when her mate was dying, hope of him living. Each time she hoped something, hope beat her down. Hope was an evil. If she became leader, she would banish hope from the Clans. Nosing the dead kit's body, cats started to come out of the dens. They stared at her sadly and tried to help bury him, but she hissed and bristled each time anyone came near Snowkit. When she was going out for patrol, Stormpelt dared the utter the thing she hated.

"I hope you find prey." He had said, in which Amberstep snarled and hissed in his face,

"Hope? Hope is poison. Don't ever say that vile word in front of my face ever again!" Strompelt backed away, looking offended, but a warrior whispered in his ear and he calmed down. Amberstep dashed out of camp, the patrol following. She desperately sniffed the air. Nothing. Just the bland scent of tree bark and Clan scent. Suddenly, a warrior let out a yowl.

"I caught a mouse!" Everyone rushed over the see the "amazing" mouse. Their skinny tails lashed in delight and they sent the warrior back to camp to feed the elders. Amberstep's anger at them bubbled up.

"If not for our oh so precious elders, I would have had milk to feed my starving kit!" she growled. Acorntail looked at her strangely and retorted,

"But Amberstep! The warrior code states that queens AND elders are always fed first. Did you forget?" Amberstep bristled angrily and mewed,

"I had a kit to feed! All the elders do is laze around and complain!" Acorntail opened her mouth to protest, but Blacktooth nudged her and muttered softly, well aware that Amberstep could hear him,

"Leave it. She's grieving." Amberstep turned and stormed back to camp. _They won't understand. They'll never understand. _The elders purred over the dumb mouse. _They probably knew that I needed food badly and ate it up so Snowkit would die._ She watched them hungrily gulp it up before turning in disgust. Cats didn't come near here these days. They feared her, like they should. When a new queen, Oaksong moved into the nursery, it was newleaf and she didn't go hungry. One day one of the kits wandered off. Amberstep had to go find her, with some other cats. Oaksong was fretting, rushing around and calling the kit's name. _Serves her right for wandering away. _Amberstep thought. She stepped around the forest, lazily calling out the kit's name. Stormpelt found her and rushed her to camp, so Sorrelflower could check her for injuries.

"Thank StarClan!" Oaksong had gasped. She rushed over and licked her kit. Amberstep snorted.

"StarClan? They don't help us at all. Whenever we HOPE that StarClan will save us, they don't!" she spat. Coldstar looked shocked.

"Amberstep! You don't believe in StarClan anymore?" Amberstep looked at him with contempt.

"StarClan's worthless. When we scream StarClan help me! We hope that they will help us. But they DON'T." she snarled. Coldstar narrowed his eyes.

"If you don't believe in StarClan, you worthless maggot, then you cannot be a warrior. Leave our Clan." Amberstep bristled and growled,

"Fine. This is a horrible excuse of Clan anyways."

"If we scent in our territory after dusk, I will allow the patrols to kill you." With that Amberstep padded toward the entrance. Before she left, Amberstep turned, a sneer marring her face.

"Fine then. Next time this stinking clan needs help; just remember that I won't help. I will teach you about pain. I'll take revenge in ways you've never known. I am hopeless. I have banished hope from my emotions. I don't carry the stupid name Amberstep anymore. I am Vengeance."


	9. Loyalty comes before friendship(Warriors

**Hello again and this is a Monthly challenge for FlowerClan! The prompt is:**

******_Friends in opposing clans meet each other in the midst of war. _****Feel free to drop any words of advice or comments. Enjoy!**

A battle raged in a dense forest. Screeches filled the air, and the smell of blood was inescapable. Fangs and blood covered claws glinted in the silver moonlight. Blood stained the ground, from both of the battling Clans. Cats threw themselves on each other, blood lust filling their angry eyes. Revenge. Revenge was what they wanted. Moons earlier EarthClan had accused WaterClan for killing their medicine cat. Their medicine cat was found dead with the distinct smell of WaterClan. WaterClan had furiously taken offense by this accusing. They immediately rejected such an idea. Why, they had asked, would they kill the medicine cat? But EarthClan was not convinced. They declared war on WaterClan moons later, after a warrior was found dead with faint WaterClan scent.

Snowflight barreled into a muscular tom, determined to knock him off-balance. The tom wasn't fazed. He swiped at her face, grazing her cheek. Snowflight growled and leaped, sinking her teeth into his shoulder. He yowled in pain and shook her off. She flew into the air and landed, slightly stunned. The tom loomed over her, ready to deal a painful blow. Suddenly, he screeched in pain. A familiar gray tom had landed on his back, clawing and biting. Rainclaw, her brother. The enemy tom threw him off and raced away.

"Thanks." Panted Snowflight. Rainclaw nodded and raced back into the flurry of battling cats. Snowflight glanced around when a weight landed on her back. She dislodged the cat and turned to face them. It was a well-built apprentice she-cat, her ears flattened and her lips bared into a snarl. She charged at Snowflight, ignoring the fact that Snowflight was bigger, seasoned, and a warrior. Snowflight admired the apprentice's courage, but batted her away. Jumping on a random EarthClan cat, she bit and slashed blindly until she wailed in pain and raced away, hatred glowing in her eyes. Crashing into a cat, he spun around and saw her, rage flaring in his green eyes. Snowflight recognized him immediately as Shadowstar. He let out a roar and bowled her over. He ripped at her ear, slicing every part of her body. He picked her up by her scruff and tossed her to the ground. Snowflight struggled to stand. Her vision spun, spots were dancing before her eyes. Stories of Shadowstar's mythical fighting rang sround camp, but she never knew he was _this_ good.

Blood dripped from her scratches. She heaved herself up and managed to weakly hiss. The leader smirked, knowing that he had won already. He bit her flank, hearing her screams of pain. Snowflight fought the little voice telling her to run. _I will not run. I will not run._ She jabbed out her paw, clawing the black mountain in front of her. The mountain hissed with pain and slashed at her belly. She let loose a howl of pain and slumped to the ground, green, red and black swirling her vision. She curled up on the ground, wishing this was over and she could stop fighting. A voice soothed her, telling her it would be okay and that she could end now. But another voice overpowered the soothing one, yelling at her to get up, to keep fighting. Snowflight groaned and stumbled to her paws. Shadowstar let out a hiss of surprise. Blood leaked from her cuts, trickling down her body. She held her head high, and mewed, determination charging every word,

"I won't give up." If Frogfoot saw her giving up, he would be ashamed. He had trained her day and night so she would be more resilient to pain. He taught her to keep going, or die trying. Shadowstar narrowed his eyes. He was obviously trying not to snort with laughter. She felt power flow through her, her pain fading into the background. Unsheathing her claws, Snowflight clawed his nose. He snarled and glared at her. Suddenly, someone crashed into him. He crumpled to the ground. Riverstar, WaterClan's leader was a big she-cat. She bit into Shadowstar's flank. He cried out in pain and swung his paw into Riverstar's head. The WaterClan leader looked dazed, but only for a second. She jumped up and landed on his back. Shadowstar stumbled and dashed off to fight some other cat. Riverstar nodded at her briefly before returning to battle. Snowflight stood there for a second, slightly confused. Then she shook her head, brought back to the ground by the noise of the battle. She heard the voice of Frogfoot in her head, reviewing her battle moves.

Looking off into the battling cats, surprise filled her when she noticed that the EarthClan cats were thinning out. Most of them had already fled the scene. The yowls and screeches were quieter, now. Someone raked their claws down her back. She spun around, to find herself face to face with her friend from EarthClan, Ravenfur. They stared at each other for a second.

"Snowflight?" muttered Ravenfur. Snowflight stared at him. Frogfoot's voice echoed in her head. _Loyalty comes before friendships in other clans._ She bared her teeth into a snarl and flattened her ears.

"Loyalties come before friendships." She growled and leaped at Ravenfur. He stood still for a second and hissed, his fur bristling. Meeting her in the air, the two rolled around the ground, slashing and biting. Ravenfur had managed to add two new bites and cuts to her flank and Snowflight, in response, raked his soft belly many times, hearing his screeches of pain. They tussled until Ravenfur sank his sharp teeth into a wound that Shadowstar had given her, reopening it. She caterwauled in pain, blood pouring out of her wounds everywhere, and flattened herself to the ground, feeling like a coward. She felt like a kit again, helpless and weak. Ravenfur stared at her coldheartedly before turning away.

"I'll let you go this time, but I won't have any mercy next time." He muttered dangerously. Their eyes locked together for a split second, and then Ravenfur ran away, back to EarthClan camp. Sootpelt sniffed her, then called out to the other WaterClan cats,

"She's alive." Riverstar said something inaudible and Sootpelt nodded. He picked Snowflight up by her scruff and carried her back to camp. Snowflight was too tired to care. She closed her eyes and spun into a dark, dreamless sleep while the medicine cat check her wounds, putting poultice and cobwebs on them. _Frogfoot still guides me, even though he's dead. He will continue to until I die._ His voice didn't echo in her head now, but that was okay. Today was an eventful day.


End file.
